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| Richard Martinez who says his son Christopher Martinez was killed in Friday night's mass shooting that took place in Isla Vista, Calif., breaks down as he talks to media outside the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Headquarters on Saturday, May 24, 2014, in Santa Barbara, Calif. |
GOLETA, Calif.
(AP) -- A gunman went on a rampage Friday night near the University of
California, Santa Barbara that left seven people dead, including him.
Here are the stories of the six victims, who were all students at the
university.
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KATHERINE BREANN COOPER
Her
friend Courtney Benjamin said Cooper, 22, was a painter with an
outgoing side. The resident of Chino Hills, California, was about to
graduate with a degree in art history.
"She was a self-proclaimed princess and I love her for that," Benjamin said. "And I know she has a crown on her head today."
Andrew
Notohamiprodjo was Cooper's ballroom dance teacher three years ago and
later supervised her as a teaching assistant in ballroom dance. Cooper
was looking forward to graduating but planned to stay in town another
year, he said.
"She was a lot of fun, super forward," he said.
Cooper graduated from Ruben S. Ayala High School in Chino Hills in 2010.
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CHENG YUAN HONG
One
of Elliot Rodger's roommates, Hong was among the first three killed.
Sheriff's officials had mentioned at a Saturday press conference that
Rodger contacted authorities to report his roommate had allegedly his
stolen candles. Santa Barbara District Attorney Joyce Dudley says Hong
was that roommate.
Hong, 20, was charged with petty theft, and Dudley said he pleaded guilty.
Hong was from San Jose, California.
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GEORGE CHEN
Chen,
19, was among the three young men found dead with multiple stab wounds
in Rodger's apartment, the Santa Barbara sheriff's office said. Chen,
also from San Jose, was listed on the lease for the apartment along with
Hong and Rodger.
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WEIHAN WANG
Wang,
20, of Fremont, California, was among the three young men Rodger
killed, authorities say. Investigators were trying to determine whether
he was also a roommate or was visiting at the time of the attack.
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CHRISTOPHER ROSS MICHAELS-MARTINEZ
Michaels-Martinez,
20, was an English major from Los Osos, California, who planned to go
to London next year and to law school after graduation, his father,
Richard Martinez, said at a Saturday press conference.
He
pulled out a photo of his son as a small child in a Chicago Cubs
baseball uniform and said they used to call him "mini-Sammy Sosa,"
referring to the former Cubs star.
"Chris was a really great kid," Martinez said. "Ask anyone who knew him."
Friends
said Michaels-Martinez, who served as residential adviser at a dorm
last year, was the kind of guy who would welcome strangers into his
home.
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VERONIKA ELIZABETH WEISS
Weiss, 19, was first-year student from Westlake Village, California.
"She was always a happy person," said Eric Pursley, who worked with Weiss at a Target store in Thousand Oaks last year.
Weiss
was a water polo player at Westlake High School who earned league
honors during her senior year, according to the Thousand Oaks Acorn
newspaper
